How important is it to have a computer science degree?
I think I'm one of the best-suited people to answer this question.
I have zero degrees in computer science. As an undergrad, I majored in history and English. I was a software developer and am now a computer science professor.
Assuming that you want a software development job, a computer science degree is incredibly important.
First, while I will admit to a talent for this stuff, I really didn't know what the hell I was doing when I got my first dev job. I just kept at it, made major mistakes, but seemed to get things working.
Second, I struggled to get jobs. I got them, but it took longer because I didn't have the degree. I decided to pursue an MS in software engineering.
Now dear reader, you may think, "software engineering, computer science, what's the difference?" Your opinion is sadly not universally shared. I learned what I needed to learn, but an MS in CS is seen as more valuable.
Third, when I went for my PhD, I chose a program in "information sciences and technology". Since I have no actual CS degrees, I faced a lot of bias, people who wouldn't hire me for faculty positions because of the label on my degree. This is less of an issue at the top of the field, but I'm not at the top of the field.
If you want to follow a route like mine and know that ahead of time, choose CS.
It is eminently possible to do what I did, even today. However, there was some luck involved (and would be today), and a hell of a lot of scrambling. My professional life would probably have been a lot easier if I knew what I wanted to do at the start (and had the maturity to do the work).
中文翻译
我认为我是最适合回答这个问题的人。
我在计算机科学领域没有学位。在本科时，我主修历史和英语。我曾是一名软件开发人员，现在是一名计算机科学教授。
假设你想要一份软件开发的工作，那么计算机科学学位非常重要。
首先，虽然我承认自己在这方面有才华，但当我得到我的第一份开发工作时，我真的不知道自己在做什么。我只是坚持不懈，犯了重大错误，但似乎总是能让事情正常运行。
其次，我曾经很难找到工作。虽然最终找到了，但因为没有学位，所以花了更长的时间。我决定攻读软件工程硕士学位。
现在，亲爱的读者，你可能会想，“软件工程，计算机科学，有什么区别？”不幸的是，你的看法并不普遍共享。我学到了我需要学的东西，但计算机科学硕士学位被认为更有价值。
第三，当我攻读博士学位时，我选择了一个“信息科学与技术”项目。因为我没有实际的计算机科学学位，所以我面临很多偏见，有些人因为我的学位标签而不愿雇佣我担任教职。在该领域的顶级职位上，这个问题不太重要，但我并不在该领域的顶级位置。
如果你想要像我这样的路线，并且在事先知道这一点的情况下，选择计算机科学。
即使在今天，也完全有可能做到这一点。但是，其中涉及到一些运气（今天也是如此），以及大量的奋斗。如果我在一开始知道自己想要做什么（并且有成熟度去做这项工作），我的职业生涯可能会更容易一些。
What does "996 (jiǔ jiǔ liù)" mean in Chinese?
It means working from 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week.
It started to gain popularity when some Chinese company, predominately tech companies (and game companies) would openly require their workers to work for 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, without overtime pay.
It is listed on their hiring ads.
It is, of course, against Chinese labor law. But speaking from the gaming industry (since I’m more familiar with it), nobody enforces the law. And the companies would say the workers volunteered to stay late to finish the work.
What came after 996? ICU.
This is a question from Quora.
Should I go to UC Berkeley for 75k a year and take on the debt?
I’m a computer science professor, I hold a PhD, and I live in California. If I had a bright, hardworking child who wanted to study STEM, while I would support their preference, I would strongly discourage them from attending UC Berkeley.
The class sizes are outrageous, especially in CS. The intro class holds up to 2,000 students in the fall.
If you’re impressed by research, realize that it’s much harder to get into a lab as an undergraduate, and if you do, you’ll likely be mentored by a more senior undergraduate who is themselves being mentored by a grad student who will occasionally meet with the professor.
Living in Berkeley is absurd. The cost is high, the competition for apartments is intense, and much of the housing is low quality.
I get the appeal, and perhaps I’d have a different opinion for the humanities and social sciences, but for STEM, I’d choose an academically more conducive environment.
Now if you’re taking on $75,000 a year in debt, that’s just nonsense. Absolute nonsense. That’s so far beyond the scope of reason that it should be an entrance test; if you’re willing to do so, you should not be at Berkeley.
中文翻译
我应该每年花费7.5万美元去加州大学伯克利分校，并承担债务吗？ 我是一名计算机科学教授，拥有博士学位，居住在加利福尼亚。如果我有一个聪明、勤奋的孩子想要学习STEM（科学、技术、工程和数学），虽然我会支持他们的选择，但我会强烈劝阻他们不要去加州大学伯克利分校。
课程规模太庞大，特别是在计算机科学领域。入门课程在秋季学期最多容纳2,000名学生。
如果你对研究印象深刻，要意识到作为本科生要进入实验室会更加困难，如果成功进入，你可能会由一名更高年级的本科生指导，而他们自己则是一名研究生生导师的学生，偶尔会与教授见面。
住在伯克利是荒谬的。成本高昂，公寓竞争激烈，而且大部分住房质量较低。
我理解其吸引力，也许我对人文和社会科学有不同的看法，但对于STEM来说，我会选择一个学术环境更有利的地方。
现在，如果你每年承担7.5万美元的债务，那就太荒谬了。绝对的荒谬。这已经远远超出了合理范围，应该成为一个入学考试；如果你愿意这样做，那么你不应该选择伯克利。
- should：应该。
- go to：去。
- UC Berkeley：加州大学伯克利分校（美国加州一所著名的大学）。
- for：为了。
- 75k a year：每年7.5万美元。
- take on：承担。
- debt：债务。
- computer science professor：计算机科学教授。
- hold a PhD：拥有博士学位。
- live in：居住在。
- California：加利福尼亚（美国西海岸的州）。
- bright：聪明的。
- hardworking：勤奋的。
- child：孩子。
- study：学习。
- STEM：STEM（科学、技术、工程和数学）。
- support：支持。
- preference：选择。
- strongly discourage：强烈劝阻。
- class sizes：课程规模。
- outrageous：庞大的。
- especially in：特别是在。
- CS：计算机科学（Computer Science的缩写）。
- intro class：入门课程。
- holds up to：最多容纳。
- students in：学生。
- the fall：秋季学期。
- impressed by：对...印象深刻。
- research：研究。
- realize：意识到。
- much harder to get into：更难进入。
- a lab as an undergraduate：作为本科生进入实验室。
- mentored by：由...指导。
- a more senior undergraduate：更高年级的本科生。
- themselves being mentored by：他们自己是由...指导的。
- a grad student：一名研究生。
- who will occasionally meet with：偶尔会与...见面。
- professor：教授。
- Living in：生活在。
- absurd：荒谬的。
- cost：成本。
- competition for apartments：公寓竞争。
- intense：激烈的。
- housing：住房。
- low quality：质量较低的。
- get the appeal：理解其吸引力。
- perhaps：也许。
- I'd have a different opinion：我会有不同的看法。
- academically more conducive：学术环境更有利的。
- environment：环境。
- now：现在。
- if someone brings up：如果有人提出。
- the topic of：...的话题。
- won't get swept away by jargons：不会被术语所迷惑。
